A good friend of mine, we'll call him V, just returned from being deployed to Iraq. I'm gald he made it back safely. He has granted me my request to interview him. I have tried to be as sensitive as I can concerning Operational Security and have tried not to make my questions overly political. I will not release his name nor any other identifying information specifically because of OpSec and because he is still enlisted and falls under the UCMJ. So, without further adieu, The Interview appears below...

1. What branch of service? Rank/rate? MOS? Was your actual Duty MOS the same as your Primary MOS?
V: ARMY; E-6 Staff sergeant; 11B30 11C30 12B30 13B30 - all combat arms; we didn't get a duty MOS as we were operating as a security force (MP's).

2. How long have you been in the military, both active and reserve or Guard if applicable?
V: A total of 21 years and some change (8 years active duty as a combat engineer - 12B).

3. Was this your first deployment? What percentage of your unit was on a first deployment? Subsequent (2nd or 3rd) deployment? (For this question, I mean Afghanistan, Iraq {Gulf War II} and Homeland Security operations.)
V: This was my 3rd deployment. I was one of 3 out of 81 who had prior deployments. This was the second deployment for the other 2 guys.

4. Do you feel the training and equipment you received before deployment adequately prepared you for this deployment/mission/task? If not, what was not done, could/should have been done and what equipment, if any, was lacking/missing/not provided?
V: This is a tricky question... prepared, no you are never prepared for this type of action, I mean you always feel like there is more that you need and the reason is that the mission is constantly changing, a good example is during this deployment my mission changed 6 times before I ever got to Iraq, and even then while there I had 3 different missions on top of even training to maintain our training status as well as working to get my entire team/squad certified as CLS (combat life savers) and licensed on all of the vehicles available to our unit (total 9 vehicles).

5. Did the mission change during the deployment? If so, in what manner? Were the changes properly explained? Justified?
V: The mission is always changing, depending on the situation on hand for that day, and always justified when it came down to the squad level.

6. Did your unit have direct contact with Iraqi civilians? Armed elements? Was your unit trained in any method of contact (interviewing, securing, arresting, counseling, civilian pacification and assistance, etc)?
V: Yes, every day we interacted with civilians, still talk via email and IM to armed Iraqis. We were a security force and did some detaining training conducted yearly, riot control and some specialized police tactics.

7. Did your unit have adequately reinforced/armored vehicles during the deployment?
V: Up-armored vehicles were only available during missions outside the wire.

8. Is there a feeling among the troops on the ground over there that the administration really cares about them? How do 'stop-loss' orders and the unwillingness of folks to enlist affect morale, if at all?
V: The troops on the ground don't feel like the Administration cares at all. The stop loss doesn't affect the troops in a sense of doing the job ... it affects them in the sense of re-enlistments and the willingness of assisting on recruiting.

9. Do the Iraqis you’ve encountered feel like we may be an occupying force that will just never leave?
V: I'm not sure, they welcomed us as we provided a sense of security for them.

10. In your opinion, what is the best thing happening in Iraq right now? Do you feel that we’re winning?
V: I think the best thing that has happened is the amount of facilities opened, schools, power plants, and water treatment plants.

11. When you were preparing to return to the US, how much debriefing time were you given, or did you come right back to work?
V: I had 3 days debriefing and no medical treatment... I was told to go to the VA hospital.

12. Was the debriefing adequate considering your mission? If not, what could have been done better in your opinion?
V: No. The Army could have set us up to meet with councelors and ensured the troops had a place to return to. I myself was in a hotel and jumped into a lease to avoid a big hotel bill.

13. Were you provided sufficient medical care prior to, during, and upon return from your deployment? If not, what was lacking?
V: NO, prior to deploying, it's your word that you are in good health. I was never given an adequate exam prior to shipping out, during deployment you are looked at by someone with little medical experience, and upon return I was told to go to the VA hospital.

14. Did you, your family or any one in your unit suffer financial hardship due to your deployment? Were measures taken by military leadership to help with any hardships or were you left to fend for yourselves?
V: I myself no, in the unit there is always someone with financial problems. In one case, a soldier upon returning had no vehicle, or home to come home to, and was not welcomed in his dad's house due to problems with the step mother.

15. If close to re-enlistment, will you re-enlist? If close to retirement, will you retire? If so, why or why not?
V: I'm past retirement. I want to retire, but stop-loss has me locked in.

16. Do you think, in light of recent comments in the media and elsewhere, that we should begin to draw down? If so, how? If not, why not?
V: No, we are commited now. If we draw down, the country will have a civil war. The only way we can withdraw the troops will be for the Iraqis to get over the separation of the Sunnis and Shiites, until then we will not be able to pull our troops out completely.

17. Did your unit suffer any losses of casualties? If so, how did that affect the overall morale of your unit?
V: Our unit from Wisconsin did not. However, the 256 BCT (brigade combat team) lost 24 - 26 soldiers out of about 4200 troops.

18. Do you feel that anti-war efforts were aimed toward the Administration or at the troops? How did this affect morale if at all?
V: More at the administration, it had very little effect on the troops. This is a job to me that very few people are cut out for or prepared to do, unfortunately a good 75% of the troops never expected to have to do this job.

19. Did you come back to the same job you had before? If so, how was the transition back to work? Hard, easy, unbearable?
V: I did come back to the same job or at least the equivalence of the same position. The transition for me was easy...I wanted to come back, the sooner the better so I could resume my life were I left off.

20. Last question. How do you feel you have changed since deploying? For the better, worse, indifferent? And finally, thank you for your service. Those of us back home are glad you made it back safe. Welcome Home!
V: Since deploying I feel that my vocabulary has gotten worse, I tend to catch myself using profanity quite a bit, but that's changing. Otherwise there has been no real change in my personality; I knew what to expect unlike the troops that deployed for the first time.

Cross-posted at The Bulldog Says...