Colonol Mark McManigal has served the Army for 31 years in various roles. In this November 2012 interview, COL Mark McManigal, US Army, Infantry; discusses his deployment to Afghanistan that he volunteered for as a combat senior advisor to the deputy minister for Administration for the Minister of Interior (MoI) in 2011 through 2012 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). COL McManigal mentored the deputy minister for the MoI, which consisted of nine directorates and three commands. He recalls the first day that he met his counterpart, an Afghan three-star general, and he describes the interaction he had with him throughout his 12-month deployment. COL McManigal describes the breakdown of those directorates and shares a special day where he attended the promotion of one of the directorates where was asked to share some words about that particular directorate. He recalls an incident where he was concerned for his safety as he was instructed to stay on a FOB for six days. COL McManigal describes the mentorship he received while in county and he closes his interview by detailing his takeaways from his deployment, "Know the culture and environment the best way you can. Rely on your teammates. Keep your head on a swivel at all times."

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