Operational Leadership Experiences

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A project of the Combat Studies Institute, the Operational Leadership Experiences interview collection archives firsthand, multi-service accounts from military personnel who planned, participated in and supported operations in the Global War on Terrorism.

Interview with MAJ Jarrod Bailey

Combat Studies Institute Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Abstract

In this April 2015 interview, MAJ Jarrod Bailey, US Army, Logistics; discusses his deployment

to Iraq as part of a military transition team (MiTT) for 3d Special Troops Battalion (STB) of

187th Infantry, in 2005 through 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). MAJ Bailey

talks about his missions as a distribution platoon leader and the MiTT logistics advisor. He

describes living conditions and working with the Iraqi army. He discusses some difficult

leadership challenges he faced and shares how he was able to boost morale for his team. He shares a specific memory of interaction with the local populace. MAJ Bailey closes his interview by stating, "Don't put a 2LT on a MiTT. They don't really know what they are doing. I learned a

lot, but it was kind of being thrown into a fire."

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Interview with MAJ Jarrod Bailey 20 April 2015

EK: My name is MAJ Edward Keen (EK) and I'm with the Operational Leadership Experience Project at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. I'm interviewing MAJ Jarrod C. Bailey (JB) on his experiences during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Today's date is April 20, 2015 and this is an unclassified interview. Before we begin, if you feel at any time that we're entering classified territory, please couch your response in terms that avoid revealing any classified information, and if classification requirements prevent you from responding, simply say that you're not able to answer. Before we talk about your deployment, could you give a brief history of your background with the Army? JB: Alright, well, I graduated from college in 2004. I majored in history and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant (2LT) in the Quartermaster branch, and was sent to Fort Lee, Virginia, for my Quartermaster Officer Basic Course. That's how I got started in the Army.

EK: With all of the many different branches within the Army, why did you decide to specialize in Logistics?

JB: Because the Army told me that's what I was going to specialize in. [laughter] In college, during Reserve Officers' Training Course (ROTC), they ask you what branch you would want to serve in. My top three were Infantry, Artillery, and Armor -- basically, all combat arms. Eighth was Quartermaster, and that's what I got. Once you graduate the Captain's Career Course, they combine the Quartermaster, Transportation, and Ordnance Corps to the Logistics Corps.

EK: Okay, thanks for walking me through that. How many deployments in support of the Global War on Terror have you had?

JB: Four. My first one was OIF IV in 2005-2006, and then I was home for a year. Then I went to OIF VI for 15 months. I can't recall the dates on that, but it's basically a year after I got back from my first deployment. Then, about 15 months after my second deployment I went to Kuwait with the First Sustainment Brigade for six months, then I came home to take command of a forward support company and three months after I was back from Kuwait, I was over in Afghanistan for 12 months.

EK: Okay, so you've been to both OIF and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).

JB: Yes.

EK: Let's focus on your first deployment, OIF IV 2005-2006. What unit were you assigned to during your deployment?

JB: [laughter] Well, I started out -- I was with the Gulf forward support company (FSC) that was 66th Brigade Support Battalion, who was assigned to the 3d of the 320th Field Artillery. But, I was put on a military transition team (MiTT), so I got switched. Once we deployed I was with

Operational Leadership Experiences Project, Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 3 UNCLASSIFIED the 3d Special Troops Battalion (STB). We had put together, like I said, a MiTT. Then I was with 3d of the 187th Infantry for most of the deployment. I was also 1st of the 187th for couple months, but 3rd of the 187th was who I was with most of the time.

EK: When did you first find out that you would be deploying to Iraq?

JB: I first found out -- I think, almost immediately when I signed into the unit. They were preparing for deployment. We knew it was going to be Iraq. So, as soon as I got there in January of 2005, I knew we were deploying.

EK: Where did you serve in Iraq during that deployment?

JB: When we first got into Kuwait, I was completely detached from the battalion -- the 3d of the 320th -- completely with 3d STB. We got the team together and we were going to do some training up in -- I think it was Taji, Iraq? I think we were there for -- it was the Phoenix Academy. I think it was Taji. Then from there we went up to Baiji, Iraq, which is north Iraq. That was for a few months and then we ended up most of our tour in Tikrit -- or -- excuse me, Samarra, Iraq. That was nine months we spent in Samarra.

EK: When you were deployed -- you mentioned your unit had changed -- did your job title change at all? Did it stay the same throughout the deployment?

JB: When I was with my original battalion, I was a distribution platoon leader. I was picked to be on the MiTT as the MiTT logistics advisor. Basically, advising an Iraqi battalion logistics officer (S4), as well as any logistics operations. So, during the whole deployment I was the MiTT logistics (LOG) advisor.

EK: You mentioned that you changed from the Gulf company, the FSC, to the MiTT. Did you receive appropriately tailored pre-deployment training ahead of time, or were more focused with the unit you were with first?

JB: Actually, I trained both -- I trained my platoon to get ready for their deployment, and then I had additional requirements. They would pull us away to train with the MiTT. We were doing internal MiTTs. This was before they had the MiTTs training out of Fort Riley, Kansas, so it was all internal to the brigade. We did a few training exercises as a MiTT together. The best training I got, though, was -- since we were on our own a lot, as a lieutenant, usually I would be driving or being a gun on a high mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV). We only had about an eight-man team, sometimes down to six, so I found myself driving and being a gunner a lot. The unit I was with -- the 3d Brigade, 105th, the [inaudible], under COL Mike Steele -- he was big on combat stuff, tasks. He had what was called the Rock Top Ten. Basically, it was -- can you fire a weapon all the way from an M-9 to a Mark 19, can you talk on a radio, can you drive a vehicle -- can you do all that? That was actually the best kind of training I got, because if we

Operational Leadership Experiences Project, Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 4 UNCLASSIFIED hadn't of done that I wouldn't have known how to do it. I would say we did receive appropriate training.

EK: As the MiTT Logistics advisor, did you have Soldiers to train, and if so, did you have much leeway in their training?

JB: I had zero Soldiers. I worked with a few non-commissioned officers (NCOs), but they really weren't mine. I wasn't rating anyone. It was basically just me as a 2LT Logistics advisor to an Iraqi battalion. So no, I didn't have any Soldiers to train. I was being trained a lot of the time.

EK: You kind of already elaborated on it, but I was wondering if you could be more specific. Once you arrived in country, what were your major responsibilities, as a Logistics advisor?

JB: When we first got there, after the Phoenix Academy where they trained us on how to be training teams for Iraqi battalions, we were up in Baiji, Iraq, with the 1st of the 187th Infantry. Our job was to go and assess -- it's not a border patrol, but -- there was a battalion that was protecting infrastructure up in north Iraq, mainly oil pipeline and energy cables. We had to go assess them. We kind of just took a look at how they were operating. Then we handed it off to another team and went down to Samarra for the rest of the deployment where we were with this one Iraqi battalion the rest of the time. My job was to help the S4 and the personnel officer (S1) conduct [inaudible] operations.

EK: What was your view of the situation when you first arrived? Either living conditions or threat conditions.

JB: Living conditions in northern Iraq -- we were on a base and we got put in a big warehouse they were using as their motor pool. There were a couple rooms to the side we were just stuffed in. -- we had cots. That wasn't the greatest situation. Once we got to Samarra, it was a smaller forward operating base, but it had containerized housing units (CHUs). I got to have a roommate. That was actually a much better living arrangement. And, then, the threat conditions -- I didn't really know what the threat was, I was never really in on some of the briefs. But, it wasn't the greatest situation. It was Samarra, so, it wasn't too bad.

EK: Did it change while you were there? If so, in what way?

JB: Yes. The first half it wasn't too bad. We had improvised explosive devices (IEDs) going off every once in awhile, mortar attacks. But, it did change. I was there when the Golden Mosque was blown up in Samarra. I remember -- I was outside and I thought I heard -- it sounded like someone hit a tennis ball. We kind of thought something might be going on when all of the sudden everyone started moving a little bit faster. We got to the tactical operations center (TOC) and that's when we found out the Golden Mosque had been destroyed. We had to hurry up and go see our Iraqi battalion and see what they knew. Basically, the whole battalion for the next few weeks -- it was a pretty bad situation, with a lot of sectarian violence going on. So, it got a little

Operational Leadership Experiences Project, Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 5 UNCLASSIFIED worse there for awhile, but then it kind of calmed down. But, yeah -- I was there when the Golden Mosque was blown up.

EK: Did you take over for another MiTT that was already there? If so, how was the handoff?

JB: Yes, we did. I think the handoff went fine. They gave us everything. They had set up a lot of projects they wanted to make sure we continued on with, which we did. They were building a whole new forward operating base (FOB) for the Iraqis. We finished that. They gave us a good breakdown of the situation, so it went well. I think they did a good job, because I don't remember anything bad.

EK: What were the most difficult challenges you had to overcome?

JB: Working with the Iraqi army -- just, the language barrier, first of all. We had two interpreters and everyone needed them for something, so you had to time and schedule out when you were going to use the interpreters. We did find one or two Iraqi soldiers, officers, who spoke English very well, that we kind of used as de facto interpreters. That was the biggest obstacle, as far as day-to-day operations. As far as major -- trying to get the Iraqi army to work -- just trying to get any information from their higher unit to help them out. It didn't ever really seem like they had a mission. We were always kind of driving it -- it was the American units. They didn't really have any top-down approach or operational approach. It was difficult to work out and train up a battalion to do live operations when they really didn't have any guidance to go with, they were just kind of out there.

EK: Can you give an example of a typical mission or a typical day?

JB: A typical day -- we'd wake up around 0600 or 0700 hours, go eat breakfast. One of us would go to the battle update brief (BUB) and get a situational report about what was going on for the day with the battalion, the 3d of the 187th that we were with. Then, we'd load up into our four vehicles. It was about a mile down the road -- one or two miles down the road is where the Iraqi FOB was. We'd go there. As soon as we got there we'd park and we'd downgrade from our protective interceptor body armor (IBA), helmets and stuff, because we trusted them and felt safe around them, as the Iraqis. We'd then break off and go to each section, so I'd go to the S4 and S1 office, and our team leader would go to the battalion commander or the executive officer (XO) -- whoever wasn't on leave. We just kind of go through what was going on that day. If there was an operation we were planning we'd help them go through the planning process, teach them the military decisionmaking process (MDMP). Then at lunchtime, we'd all go to lunch. They actually had a pretty good lunch there. There was a soup that I always liked -- I don't even know what it was, but it was really good. Then, after lunch, we'd stay a couple more hours. We'd usually get done with them about 1500 hours. Not much you can do after that. So then we'd drive back to FOB [inaudible] and fill out some reports, then either go work out, go have dinner and just relax in our rooms. That was kind of a typical day.

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EK: Have you had a job in the past that really prepared you for this deployment?

JB: Nope. [laughter]

EK: Did you have a mentor or someone who inspired you during this deployment?

JB: Not really. I was a really young 2LT. I'd only been in the Army about a year. I made First Lieutenant when I was over there. Our first team leader, LTC White, he was the STB commander. We were originally supposed to be the brigade MiTT, but then he got pulled back to his battalion -- because I guess they didn't think it was a good idea for a battalion commander to be away from his battalion. Then we had a major. He was not bright and he was called back to brigade. It was a good thing. Then we got a reservist, I guess he volunteered. The guy worked on Wall Street. He was in the Army, prior. He was a West Point graduate -- played quarterback for West Point -- was in the Army for a few years, got out and went to Wall Street. When the war broke out he came back in. I think he was a captain, then he made major while deployed. He was a good leader for a while. He was different. But, I mean, other than that -- after he left, we had a captain in charge of us. Then when that captain left, we had a captain who had made captain over there -- we started dwindling towards the end of the deployment, so there wasn't a lot of inspiration going on.

EK: That is a challenge. As a leader, how did you keep up -- you said you didn't have Soldiers in particular -- but other Soldiers' morale?

JB: Team morale -- we usually kept up our own morale. We'd watch movies, I'd read books, we'd switch hard drives and get music from each other. We built a little movie theater -- basically, a screen and a projector -- in the middle of the CHUs and we'd have movie nights. We'd grill out and all that kind of stuff, so it wasn't too bad.

EK: Did you work with coalition forces?

JB: Other than -- I worked with the Iraqi army and worked with the regular unit we were with. Sometimes we worked with some Special Forces, doing missions and stuff. But other than that, that's about it.

EK: What was your contact, if any, with the local populace?

JB: We would conduct missions in the city of Samarra. The FOB the Iraqis were on -- we called it FOB Seven -- they never really named it. It was about 10 miles -- maybe less, maybe four or five miles from the city of Samarra. We'd try and do some operations inside the city. I remember this one time, we were just, basically, doing what we called a cordon and knock, where we would have security in a certain part of the city and we'd just go around and knock on doors and kind of see what was up, what was going on. I met a lot of Iraqi local populace through that. I remember this one guy -- we went up to the door and I had the Iraqi soldier with me, an Iraqi platoon with me. One of the soldiers spoke some English, so, I'm talking and I knock on the door

Operational Leadership Experiences Project, Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 7 UNCLASSIFIED and I say, "Hello. My name is Lieutenant Bailey. I'm with the US Army." I look at my interpreter and he starts interpreting in Arabic and the civilian stops him, and in perfect English says, "I used to teach English at the school, I understand you perfectly. How are you doing?" I had a conversation with the guy in English. He asked if I had a book to give him. I didn't have a book to give him, I would have. It was interesting -- in the middle of the city of Samarra, talking to a guy who spoke perfect English. A really well-educated man, it was pretty impressive.

EK: Did you have any contact with the media?

JB: Not the media -- not like CNN or a newspaper or anything like that. But, we had combat camera a lot with us, since the MiTT were -- they kept telling us we were the tip of the spear, so we always had a guy with a video camera around, kind of documenting us. I didn't know it at the time, but later that video footage would be used on an episode of Mail Call with [inaudible], on the History Channel. The 100th episode, I'm on the 100th episode. They ask [inaudible] what's going on in Iraq and he answers and talks about the MiTT and they show footage from my team, and I say a couple lines. I had a Soldier call me up and tell me he saw me on TV, so that's kind of interesting. I guess that kind of counts as the media. [laughter]

EK: When did you fly back home?

JB: Around August or September of 2006, almost exactly one year later, we flew back home.

EK: How was the handoff to your replacements, or was there a handoff?

JB: Handoff was all right. We got replaced by the 82d. They came in with a unique attitude. It was fine. The only hiccup was, since we were one of the very first, early, early, MiTT -- they didn't really have a hand receipt or property book. Except, when these guys came in, I guess they started them. They had consolidated -- I'd never -- I didn't know what was going on with property books, so we kind of had to unscrew that situation. But, it was all fine.

EK: How was communication back home while you were deployed?

JB: It was good. We had internet in our CHUs. We had phones that we could call back anytime. Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) had those phone banks where you could have 10 minutes. We also had phones and other places you could call and use the switchboards that -- I can't remember exactly how it's done or what it was called, but it was good. This was actually right before Facebook started and My Space was pretty big, so I actually used My Space quite a bit in keeping up with friends and family. It was good.

EK: How did reintegration with your family go?

JB: It was fine. I'm a single officer -- no wife, no kids. My parents met me the day I got back from Iraq. They stayed for a couple of days. It was nice. Other than that, no issues.

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EK: Based on this deployment, if you could make one recommendation to the Army about how to make things better in the future, what would it be?

JB: One is don't put a 2LT on a MiTT. They don't really know what they are doing. I learned a lot, but it was kind of being thrown into a fire. Especially being put around senior NCOs who've been in for 20 years and I've barely been in for one. The MiTT was an internal one -- I don't really think that worked out. We needed a dedicated one. I also believe that there should have been more integration of the Iraqi battalion with the American battalion. They should have worked closer together. They started doing that in the future rotations. My second deployment, the battalion I was with, the S4 had a close relationship with the Iraqi battalion. Other than that, I don't have any recommendations.

EK: Is there any particular observation or lesson learned you want to highlight that we have not addressed?

JB: Not really.

EK: Do you have any closing observations you'd like to make?

JB: No.

EK: Thank you very much. This concludes the interview.

END OF INTERVIEW

Transcribed by Joey Studnicka

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