Interview with Maj Steve Barry

In this interview MAJ Steve Barry discusses his deployment to Iraq during the initial phases of the war. Deployed to Kuwait for six months prior to the kickoff of OIF I, MAJ Barry describes the time he and his tank company spent training in the desert preparing for a potential invasion into Iraq. When finally given the word, MAJ Barry and his company move into Iraq and he discusses the challenges he faced on the initial movement in, the struggles he had to overcome, and the initial successes he and his battalion had while moving up towards Baghdad. MAJ Barry and his company played a role in one of the Thunder Runs and he briefly discusses what that was like and his interaction with the media at that time. MAJ Barry had the unique experience of changing command while in theater and he gives an overview of the problems associated with that while deployed. MAJ Barry concludes his interview by stating that it is important for senior leadership to pay more attention to what it is their junior leaders are asking for. He states, \“Listen to your junior leaders on the ground early on to get them what they need.\”