Courtesy Photo | Staff Sgt. Kerry Harrison (left), a Columbus, Miss. native, and Staff Sgt. Michael...... read more read more
By Pfc. April Campbell
Multi-National Division - Baghdad
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Providing quality leadership for Soldiers is not simply a daytime mission for non-commissioned officers serving with Multi-National Division – Baghdad, it is a mission carried out 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Soldiers, such as Staff Sgt. Kerry Harrison, a Columbus, Miss., native, who serves as the division information operations night shift section leader with Company C, Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division and MND-B, help to carry out this mission in the wee hours of the night at the Division Main building on Camp Liberty.
Harrison and his crew work a 12-hour shift overnight at the D-Main, keeping the different sections connected via internet and phone networks. Throughout the shift, he approaches his duty of taking care of his six-man crew with a high degree of integrity.
Even before the shift begins at 8 p.m., Harrison and his Soldiers meet at 5:30 p.m. every day, except for Sundays, to conduct physical fitness training.
"Because we cannot do organized PT (in Iraq), on days we don't run, (Harrison) decided that we are going to go to the gym. He watches us to monitor which exercises we are doing," said Staff Sgt. Michael Helmen, who serves in as the information operations nightshift imaging technician officer with Co. C, STB.
During this pseudo-organized PT, Harrison starts out his day showing leadership to his Soldiers. He takes his time to make sure each Soldier uses his time wisely and sees the maximum results.
"When we first arrived in Baghdad, we had a Soldier here who was overweight. (Harrison) took it upon himself to do cardiovascular exercises with the Soldier," said Helmen. "The Soldier lost a lot of weight, and he was able to pass a tape test. He also passed his P.T. test with the best score he has ever earned."
When he arrives at work, Harrison and his team leaders receive a shift-change brief from the dayshift non-commissioned officer in charge.
In the midst of the work Harrison's crew receives during the evening brief, they also help other nightshift sections when they encounter network problems with their computers or phones.
"We address the issues people bring to us as they come to the help desk," said Harrison.
"We adjust our schedule to those needs as well as those carrying over from the day shift."
Sometimes nightshift workers encounter issues which would normally require somebody to go through their section's information management officer before Harrison and his Soldiers can fix their problem. If possible, Harrison still tries to assist these customers with the problems.
"There has to be somebody that we can talk to (during the night) to make us understand why we need to go ahead and fix their problem," he said, "so I can add that explanation to the work order."
Including documentation with every work order completed is one way Harrison helps his Soldiers to better perform their mission.
"I try to mentor the Soldiers in my section. I want to make sure they don't take shortcuts," Harrison added. "Even though it may seem easier to go ahead and put somebody on the network on the spot, they need to go through the proper procedure so that everything is documented and tracked."
In the midst of performing the nightly mission of maintaining the internet and telephone connections at the D-Main, Harrison also finds time to get to know his troops and encourages them to grow – both technically and as Soldiers.
"I want the Soldiers to know that somebody is taking care of them," he said. "If they ask me a question, whether I like that question or not, I owe them an answer."
In addition to weekly courses focusing on the technical aspects of their job in information management, Harrison encourages his crew to take college and military correspondence courses.
"The education they receive will help them whether they stay in the military or if they decide to move on to the civilian world," he said.
Harrison also ensures his Soldiers maintain their military career administratively. He keeps up with their enlisted record briefs and helps them create "I-love-me books" in which to keep each official document they have received since enlisting in the Army.
"The books help (our Soldiers) to keep track of everything they need to be promoted and encourage the Soldiers to take personal responsibility for their Army careers," he said.
Harrison's leadership has also helped other NCOs in his section become better leaders.
"I was good at focusing on my Soldiers as people," said Helmen. "Staff Sgt. Harrison has helped me to be a better NCO and to focus more on encouraging and guiding them to be better Soldiers."
After a night spent taking care of his Soldiers, Harrison prepares the IO shop for a smooth transition for the day shift before they arrive.
At around 7 a.m., Harrison and his Soldiers take account of all the equipment in their shop. When the morning shift comes in, they conduct a morning shift-change brief before heading to their rooms in the morning sunlight.
Once there, Harrison can go to sleep and rest up for another night of leading his crew to accomplish their mission.
| Date Taken: | 03.26.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 03.26.2008 15:38 |
| Story ID: | 17781 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 314 |
| Downloads: | 259 |
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