JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - Army Reserve Lt. Col. Mark W. Coplen, an Austin, Texas, resident, is set to return to the states after a yearlong deployment in Iraq with Task Force 38.

Coplen reflected on his deployment and said he is looking forward to his return home.

"I proudly served in Operation Iraqi Freedom after being recalled from active duty following and 11-year break in service, and I am eagerly anticipating seeing my daughters, Caroline and Audrey, and wife, Amy," said Coplen, who helped plan and coordinate fixed-wing and rotary wing aircraft missions.

Coplen was one of seven Task Force 38 Soldiers who worked as a liaison officer at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq.

"It's important because the coordination that has to happen between general officers and their staff with our operations is key to mission success," said Coplen of his job coordinating flights at the Al Faw palace in the joint operations center, the mission control center for United States Forces - Iraq. "It's coordination between the people who want the support, to the people who provide the support."

Coplen is a 1984 graduate of T.K. Gorman High School in Tyler, Texas, and a 1988 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He has served in the military for 22 years.

Coplen's parents, William and Alma, reside in Kerrville, Texas.

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