Interview with Ltc Antonio L. Morales (Paperback)

A reservist serving with the 98th Division (Institutional Training), Lieutenant Colonel Antonio L. Morales was mobilized and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2005. Normally assigned as a schools officer with the 98th's reservist troop program unit, Morales deployed to Kuwait in July 2004 as part of Brigadier General Richard Sherlock's survey team for the rest of the division. Following numerous interviews with existing advisor support teams (ASTs) in country, the survey team made its assessment which was subsequently briefed to Lieutenant General David Petraeus, the Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq (MNSTC-I) commander, and also to Forces Command (FORSCOM). While concluding that an institutional training mission would fit well with the 98th's skills and capabilities, Morales says, "I think all of us believed that the AST mission might be kind of too far-reaching for our reservists." He recalls that Sherlock, anticipating a non-standard mission for the 98th, continually told everyone that they needed to start developing a different mindset and become more flexible. Responsible for coordinating training for 98th Division personnel in Kuwait, Morales states that training in theater, in addition to that received in Camp Atterbury, Indiana, was justified because it allowed the soldiers time to acclimate and that more training is generally always better. Being the 98th's officer on the spot, Combined Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC) drafted him to handle all reception, staging, onward-movement and integration of 98th personnel through Kuwait to their duty stations in Iraq. Morales notes that as the reservists moved into Iraq to assume the advisory role, some soldiers in the MNSTC-I staff thought they should serve MNSTC-I needs, saying, "The 98th Division personnel would become 'assimilated." Also, when assigned as the operations officer for the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team (CMATT), the CMATT chief of staff did not want him partly because he was a reservist. Morales aided in capturing training areas which needed additional emphasis for the advisory role, observing that cultural awareness, problem solving and flexibility were not training areas easily condensed by FORSCOM into standard tasks. Talking about the performance of the 98th, he closes by stating, "From my standpoint, I think our performance was good. It wasn't outstanding, it wasn't excellent, but it was good." Advising other soldiers who might find themselves in similar circumstances, Morales recommends maintaining mental flexibility and being prepared to tackle any task.