In this October 2013 interview, MAJ Nicholas Dvonch, US Army, Field Artillery, discusses his deployment to Iraq as a company fire support officer for 2-319 AFAR, 2d BDE, 82d Airborne Division in 2003 through 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). MAJ Dvonch talks about his mission of providing company fire support and later his mission as a Civil/Military Cooperation officer. He describes how first found out about deploying and his entry into country. He discusses some challenges he faced and shares his first very kinetic and conventional days in country. He shares memories about his time doing route security and discusses the handoff to his replacement when he is moved to another unit. MAJ Dvonch closes his interview by stating, "I would say for now, for training wise, if you don’t know what you're trying to do, like calling for fire, if you don't know it cold you're not going to know it when the time comes. You have to know it cold. You have to know how to do it without referencing or thinking about it or meandering through it. It just has to be you know it. Like is said, if you don't put in the training effort. . . Because if you don't, you're going to mess something up and the rounds not going to where you want it to go. Then you could get people killed."

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