Soldiers provide human resources assistance to FOB Delta

Photo By Sgt. Daniel West | 1st Lt. Dongsheng Xie, Brigade Adjutant for the 214th Fires Brigade works on paperwork, April 28, at Camp Delta, Iraq. (U.S. Army Photo/Sgt. Daniel T. West, 214th Fires Brigade)  

AL KUT, IRAQ

04.30.2008

Courtesy Story

Multi-National Division-Central

By Sgt. Daniel T. West
214th Fires Brigade

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq – Few things are more important for Soldiers' morale than ensuring pay is on time and accurate. A small team of 214th Fires Brigade Soldiers are on task seven days a week to make that happen.

First Lt. Dongsheng Xie, Sgt. 1st Class Karen Brown and Spc. Angel Ventura staff the S1, or personnel, shop for the 214th FB in addition to providing human resources assistance to the entire forward operating base.

The three Soldier staff must keep up with a job that, under normal circumstances, would require more than 10 people, Brown said.

On top of being short-staffed, Soldiers in the S1 must deal with disgruntled customers and hectic deadlines, added sources of stress in an already busy schedule, Ventura said.

Still, they know their job is critical for mission success.

"Soldiers don't need to worry about pay, rank or awards," Brown said, "Any changes in human resources, we take care of it."

Xie, the officer in charge of S1, must juggle his duties with those of brigade adjutant, overseeing the commander's schedule and coordinating VIP visits for the FOB. In addition, he had to learn his job from scratch, coming from the background of a chemical officer.

"I am new to human resources," he said. "I learned from Sgt. 1st Class Brown, and she's been a great help, starting out."

The S1 staff performs jobs that service Soldiers, including: pay issues, leave, records, registering Common Access Cards and even collecting mail.

"I had to learn a number of new things while I was here," Ventura said, who handles the mail. "For example, I had to learn the CAC system from scratch, and now I'm proficient in its use."

The S1 serves a critical role in keeping Soldiers' morale high, though often overlooked under normal circumstances, even by its own members.

"I used to think my job was pointless," Ventura said. "Being here, though, I see that it's a necessary job. I see a lot of rewards that I had never seen before."

• Date Taken: 04.30.2008
• Date Posted: 04.30.2008 15:56
• Story ID: 18960
• Location: AL KUT, IQ