MAJ Miguel Torres served as company commander of an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) unit in Ramadi, Iraq during 2003 and 2004 and as senior advisor for the Iraqi bomb disposal school in Baghdad, Iraq during 2007 and 2008, both in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). In this June 2012 interview, MAJ Torres discusses the duties and challenges of EOD, his experiences training the Iraqis in bomb disposal and evidence collecting, and his thoughts on the big picture of US involvement in Iraq. MAJ Torres concludes his interview with the observation, 'It is just the importance of understanding others in any conflict we are involved in now or in the future. In my opinion a key to our success was the cultural understanding, and the understanding that sometimes what you want to do in your terms is not what the others want to do in theirs. As an advisor, being seen as another asset to the organization or the senior leadership is better than being an impediment or criticizer of everything they do. Criticizing is easier than saying, "Let me see how we can make this place better. Let me see how we can improve on what we're doing.'"

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