Photo By 1st Sgt. Justin A. Naylor | U.S. Army Cpl. Charles Wamsley, a communication specialist with 3-2 Stryker Brigade...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – From age eight, Cpl. Charles Wamsley knew that he loved computers. He didn’t have one at home, so he spent as much time on them at school as he could. When he turned 14, he finally got a computer of his own. That was when his tech skills began to blossom.
Now, years later, Wamsley is an Army communications specialist working with the computers and communications equipment that he loves.
Wamsley, a Lacey, Wash., native assigned to 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, has been serving in the Army for just over five years. Things have changed a lot for him. Before joining the service he was a high school dropout working several dead-end jobs and had his second child on the way.
“I needed to make something of myself,” Wamsley said. “They said they could help me get my GED.”
Before he ever went to the recruiter station, he already knew what he wanted to do.
“I said I wanted to do anything with a computer,” he said. “I’ve always been into computers, but since I didn’t graduate high school, I had been doing odd jobs. “
After joining, Wamsley spent time at Fort Sill, Okla., learning the basics of communications equipment.
He then moved to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and joined 3-2 SBCT.
“I wanted to be closer to home,” Wamsley said.
It didn’t take long after his arrival at 3-2 SBCT for Wamsley to deploy with the unit. This was his chance to learn a few new lessons.
“You have to grab the info and apply yourself,” he said. “You’re going to make mistakes but you have to keep trying and you’ll figure it out.”
Although the Army defines Wamsley as a communication specialist, he has used his time at 3-2 SBCT to expand his knowledge of computers, radios, and every sort of technology that he can get his hands on. “Anything with commo that they will let me do,” Wamsley said.
Now, Wamsley is helping spearhead new technology that allows his brigade’s fighting vehicles to communicate more effectively with their headquarters.
Wamsley has worked hard to integrate several systems that have previously been unable to communicate. This allows ground, air and headquarters units to interact more easily.
“This helps them maintain situational awareness,” he said. “It allows them to keep accurate track of units on ground overall.”
Wamsley was specially chosen for this job because it required someone with knowledge of an assortment of communications equipment. He worked closely with other communication specialists, most of whom only had knowledge on one or two elements of the overall project.
“I was that middle ground that put all the pieces together,” Wamsley said.
The system Wamsley helped put together is now being used at the National Training Center where his unit is currently training. This allows the system to be tested in a more rigorous environment.
“Things can go wrong in an environment that’s more like a deployment,” he said.
Wamsley’s hard work and desire to learn have not gone unnoticed by those around him.
“He’s super smart,” said Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Martin, a Philadelphia native and a commo chief who has worked with Wamsley for three years. “He’s one of the smartest kids I’ve ever worked with.”
Martin was among those who chose Wamsley to work on the new communication equipment.
“He does the stuff that no one else can do,” Martin said. “A lot of soldiers hit roadblocks and give up; he’s tenacious about a challenge.”
From a young age, Wamsley knew that he loved computers and now he gets to work with them every day. His hard work and dedication are putting him on the forefront of Army communication specialists and allow him to pioneer new technology that helps his brigade accomplish its mission.
| Date Taken: | 01.20.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 01.23.2014 08:22 |
| Story ID: | 119530 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 298 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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