In this May 2013 interview, MAJ Patrick Kaine, US Army, Field Artillery discusses his deployment to Iraq as a platoon leader for 1-39 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Battalion, Bravo Battery in 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). MAJ Kaine talks about his non-standard missions of providing convoy security, detainee operations and a "taxi" service. He describes how the pre-deployment training did not prepare them for this non-standard mission and talks about some issues he initially had with getting equipment. He discusses some challenges he faced and shares how the mission affected the morale of his Soldiers. He shares a specific memory of watching a Soldier progress in his duties and confidence. MAJ Kaine closes his interview by stating, "I think through all my deployments, there is one thing that's remained very clear throughout and I have to constantly remind myself, especially in courses like this where you start getting into grandiose plans and that, you have to keep it simple. When I say keep it simple, it's not just your plan, but it's also expectations. An American Soldier will do unbelievable things, but you need to tailor it for them. . . At the end of the day, if we can do those basic skill level better than anyone then the other stuff is going to be easy. It comes down to in football terms blocking and tackling. If you can do the basics well, you know, why could a bunch of Artillerymen shift on a moment's notice to an MP mission. Well, it's because they've been trained throughout their career to do the basics pretty well, the Soldier skill tasks. I think that applies to almost anything we do, not just being able to do Infantry or MP skills, but also to doing their mission as Artillerymen. You can't over complicate it. Just take care of the mission at hand and then worry about the one a little later."

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