Col. Jeffrey Holmes heads the 3,200 soldiers of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment as they prepare to leave for Iraq. The colonel also headed a squadron within the regiment during the 2004-2005 deployment.
Much of the mission this time will focus on convoy security. Soldiers will drive heavily armored vehicles to escort both supplies and personnel between coalition bases in an undisclosed sector of Iraq.
Col. Holmes recently sat down with the Times Free Press to talk about preparations for the coming deployment.
Q: What is the mission of the 278th in Iraq during this deployment and how is it similar or different from the last tour?
A: Our mission is to secure coalition forces in formations and on main supply routes around Iraq. We did convoy security operations as part of a larger mission last time. It was a small component, now it is probably 90 percent of our mission.
Q: What methods or training have changed since your last tour?
A: I can’t really tell you a lot about it. The enemy gets a vote in all missions and operations so we have to continue to adapt. It’s always going to change. We have to be an agile force and we have to be adaptive and react.
Q: What is the 278th’s projected timeline in Iraq?
A: Reserve component forces are restricted to 12 months. But all that could change based on the situation on the ground. It could lengthen, it could shorten.
Q: The public’s attention and shifted from Iraq to Afghanistan. How does that affect your mission and troop morale?
A: There’s always going to be talk around the barracks. Somebody thinks they should be in Afghanistan or down in Haiti or wherever. Fifty to 60 percent of our soldiers have served in Iraq. They recognized the importance of this mission. They’re anxious to get back there and see the advances of the Iraqi security forces. They want to go back and finish the job. They’re honored to be on the tail end and be a part of closing a chapter.
Q: How does the mix of seasoned and new soldiers affect the mission?
A: I don’t think we could have been in a better position with our veterans, our combat veterans. Those soldiers, they’ve advanced. What were privates and specialists are now specialists and sergeants. That is a solid base for being able to bring in young, inexperienced soldiers who have not deployed. The young soldier brings energy to the formation … the soldiers we have now joined up when this nation was at war. They knew where they were going. Or at least they had a strong suspicion that they would be deployed.
Q: In all likelihood, the mission in Iraq could be quiet with little action. How do you fight complacency among the troops?
A: That’s probably our biggest challenge. And I tell you who’s going to solve it for us. Those first-line leaders who have that experience, who’ve driven out after 10 missions with no contact, then on the 11th mission they had serious contact. That experience right there will keep the younger soldiers focused. Without those people, it can become complacent. Continuing to train while we’re in theater, continuing to adapt to whatever the enemy’s throwing at us at the time.
Q: After the mission is over, once the troops come home, what is there for them to readjust and return to their families and lives?
A: There’s a lot that’s been learned since 2003. I think education is the best way to adapt a soldier. Sixty percent of our soldiers are veterans; 60 percent of our families are veterans as well. Just informing that young soldier and their family of things that will change once that soldier returns home. Maybe their personality changes for a period of time, and it will. Just knowing that and then knowing ways to deal with it. Because he’s coming out of a harsh environment and he’s coming back into the civilian world, which is always a difficult transition. Taking slow steps to educate their families that there are people out there and organizations out there that can help.