Communications and Electronics Shop Services Taji

Courtesy Photo | (Foreground), Spc. Jonathan Oakley, the special electronic device repairer for the Signal Company, Special Troops Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, Communications and Electronics Shop, and Sgt. Frank Morales, the non-commissioned officer of the C  

TAJI, IRAQ

08.05.2008

Courtesy Story

1st Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade

By 1st Lt. Justin D. Haug
1st Sustainment Brigade

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Since the start of the New Year, the Signal Company, Special Troops Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, Communications and Electronics shop has been actively serving Camp Taji as an electronic repair facility for equipment outside of their normal duty requirements.

A C&E shop is ultimately responsible for the troubleshooting, installation, and maintenance of signal support systems such as radios. However, Sgt. Frank Morales, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the C&E shop, has been accepting less typical electronic equipment for repairs from even less typical customers.

Personnel from outside the brigade are bringing non-Army electronics to the shop for repair. For example, the 249 Military Transition Team brought an HP Laserjet printer in for repair. While the 1st Sust. Bde. has no MiTT teams under its umbrella of responsibility, the word is out: the Signal Company's C&E shop is willing to lend anyone a hand, helping in any way they can.

Suffering from the Signal Corps' massive new equipment fielding and the Army's restructuring to a more modular force, company-level C&E shops are often tasked with missions that do not match their current situation. Such was the case the Signal Company's C&E shop, under the 1st Sust. Bde.

In theater, it is not uncommon for electronic components to be transported directly from a platoon to a division-level C&E shop for repairs or replacement; that is where most of the equipment's contracting field service representatives reside.

Also, the Signal Company has been unable to receive the additional Department of Defense Activity Address Code needed for the C&E shop to operate properly. A DODAAC would allow the C&E shop to make use of their Standard Army Maintenance System-Enhanced, a system that standardizes the maintenance process, while providing stream-lined synchronization and record keeping of Army maintenance.

"I've tried to do everything I can in order to be a valuable asset for the company, and Army. The first few months into our deployment, I emphasized to Soldiers that the easiest way to be productive is to improve your foxhole," said Morales.

"So we spent a lot of effort renovating our office and doing carpentry work for the company; but then we realized how much more of a benefit we could be if our work was more related to our specific skill set. Nothing says we can't fix printers," explained Morales.

Despite having a shop of only two personnel, Morales and Spc. Jonathan Oakley, the special electronic device repairer, have serviced commercially available office electronics, spending more than 100 man hours on repairs. This number only reflects the time spent on successful repairs.

Often, the shop is limited by the tools and parts they have at their disposal. Being designed to maintain ruggedized Army equipment, they don't always have the necessary parts for commercial repairs.

Twenty-nine of those service hours though, were for units outside of the brigade. Their repairs include items such as large-screen plasma televisions, numerous printers, digital senders, and even a few video gaming systems.

The customers understand that all the work being done is nothing more than a big favor. The C&E shop helps when it can and works to be as timely as it can. Customers have been more than grateful thus far, now spreading the word and returning with more equipment.

"People enjoy doing what they are trained to do. We may not be tearing apart Army radios, but we're still burying our noses in wiring diagrams. With the amount of office equipment we've fixed so far, I'm confident our efforts are making a difference," Oakley said.

This problem solving mentality and willingness to work is invaluable in today's Army, and is bringing pride to the Signal Company, the STB, and the 1st Sust. Bde.

• Date Taken: 08.05.2008
• Date Posted: 08.05.2008 07:36
• Story ID: 22129
• Location: TAJI, IQ