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    Signal Soldiers keep aviators connected during operations

    Signal Soldiers keep aviators connected during operations

    Courtesy Photo | Sgt. David Xiong, a senior local area network manager for Task Force XII, checks the...... read more read more

    TAJI, IRAQ

    02.26.2008

    Courtesy Story

    Multi-National Division Baghdad

    By Sgt. Brandon Little
    Task Force XII PAO, Multi-National Division - Baghdad

    CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Communication has always played a vital part in war-fighting efforts, and as technology and the enemy continue to evolve, so has the demand for lines of communications.

    The uses of these lines of communication can vary from allowing ground forces to radio for aerial support, when they're in a tight situation, to providing deployed parents with the opportunity to download emailed pictures from their families back home.

    When Soldiers in Task Force XII need these methods of correspondence established, fixed or even relocated, they turn to signal soldiers to stay connected.

    "Most people don't recognize the necessity of automation in the support of combat missions," said Maj. Ronald Cohen, the signal officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Task Force XII. "Without these (Soldiers) behind the scenes, connecting computers and telephones, the missions don't get planned and orders don't get pushed out."

    Signal Soldiers also ensure that helicopter radios are functioning properly and they help key Army leaders, who travel in Task Force XII aircraft, stay connected to the battle by operating special radio consuls aboard the aircraft.

    "A brigade functions similar to the human body," said Cohen, a native of Orlando, Fla. "The operations section is the heart that pumps out the (information) through the veins that connect to the different sections of the brigade, but the signal sections are those veins carrying that information."

    It has taken a combined effort between signal Soldiers working in S-6 sections, and in the Forward Logistical Element, to meet the automated and tactical communication needs of Task Force XII.

    "In the seven months we've been here, we've managed to establish networks here and at Logistic Support Area Anaconda," said Cohen, "Moving to Taji was definitely a challenge; we pretty much had to build the brigade's automation systems from the ground up."

    In addition to setting up communication systems, signal Soldiers are also responsible for maintaining and repairing these systems. They have completed more than 72 minor system repairs, or trouble tickets, this month.

    "We troubleshoot problems involving all (types of communications) from computers to radios; we also work with telephones and satellites," said Sgt. David Xiong, a senior local area network manager for Task Force XII and a native of Arvada, Colo. "We stay pretty busy trying to maintain our every day operations in addition to completing various projects that (arise)."

    In the last month, these signal Soldiers have taken on projects that include relocating the brigade conference room and creating a tax center for Task Force XII Soldiers.

    "They did a great job in setting up the tax center, and they finished it a lot faster than I expected," said Spc. Jackson Longchamp, a paralegal specialist in Task Force XII and a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. "I really commend them on all the hard work they've done to get everything up and running."

    The tax center was fairly easy to set up, but relocating the conference room took several weeks of planning and coordination to accomplish because it contains a separate tactical and garrison communication network, said Sgt. Manuela Fuentes, a data and information integrator in Task Force XII and a native of Pleasanton, Texas.

    Without the hard work and dedication of these signal Soldiers, Task Force XII would literally have to operate in the dark, said Cohen.

    "It's amazing how reliant we are on automation, and when that goes down there are no phones, no email ... no communication," said Cohen. "A lot of the time we know that people might not notice we're here, but we all know they appreciate the work we do and they value our contribution to the mission."

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 02.26.2008
    Date Posted: 02.26.2008 10:30
    Story ID: 16723
    Location: TAJI, IQ

    Web Views: 52
    Downloads: 45

    PUBLIC DOMAIN