In this October 2013 interview, LCDR Brandon Montanye, US Navy, discusses his deployment to Iraq as a helicopter second pilot aboard the USS Iwo Jima in 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). LCDR Montanye talks about his mission of search and rescue, passenger, mail, cargo transfers, vertical replenishment and force protection flying for the ship. He describes how early in the deployment the USS Iwo Jima was rerouted to Lebanon to participate in the evacuation of US citizens from Israel and Lebanon when the two countries were at war as part of Joint Task Force Lebanon. He discusses some challenges he faced and shares how they worked with coalition partners. LCDR Montanye closes his interview by stating, "Aircraft Survivability Equipment. It is basically chaff and flares, stuff that is set up if you're ever locked on by radar it automatically dispenses you chaff and flares. You can do it manually. That's one thing we didn't have at the time and we were kind of alone and unafraid out there. The only thing we had for any type of protection was small arms and an M-240. We always kept them in the aircraft, because we're a search and rescue asset. We're not a combat asset."

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